Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway, and others are working on AI likeness rights for their future projects. In a press release from generative AI tech firm Metaphysic, CEO Thomas Graham named-dropped these stars along with names like Octavia Spencer, Rita Wilson, and Paris Hilton. Back in January, Metaphysic inked a deal with CAA to forge ahead with AI development of voice and likeness technologies. Critics still maintain that such practices are effectively a can of worms that would prove disastrous over time for the entertainment ecosystem as a whole. The current SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have AI as a main point of contention.
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“AI will change content creation and storytelling forever,” Graham began. “Whether you are an actor, performer, sportsperson or just a concerned citizen, it is critical that everyone takes active steps to protect their personal data that can be used to create a perfect AI version of your likeness or performance.”
“We need to support a secure, transparent platform for performers, IP holders and filmmakers to coordinate the use of personal data to create AI content. And it needs to have consent and compensation at its heart,” Graham would continue. “With the right coalition of individuals and industry stakeholders, we can build systems for the future that respect the contribution of all artists and performers involved.”
Tom Hanks Addresses AI Likenesses In Future Projects
Hanks himself has grappled with the reality of his AI likeness appearing in films for a while now. In an interview on The Adam Buxton Podcast, the star talked about possibly appearing in projects after his death. Hanks acknowledged that the core struggle of entertainment right now is determining a future where these likenesses and voices can’t be abused. But, the news up above would seem to indicate he doesn’t like the chances of avoiding it entirely. Here’s what the Forrest Gump star had to say.
“What is a bona fide possibility right now, if I wanted to, [is] I could get together and pitch a series of seven movies that would star me in them in which I would be 32 years old from now until kingdom come,” Hanks said. “Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are by way of AI or deep fake technology … I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but my performances can go on and on and on.”
“Outside of the understanding that it’s been done by AI or deep fake, there’ll be nothing to tell you that it’s not me and me alone and it’s going to have some degree of lifelike quality… I can tell you that there [are] discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies, and all of the legal firms in order to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice and everybody else’s being our intellectual property,” he mused.
Christopher Nolan Addresses AI Criticism
After the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes began, Christopher Nolan came out swinging against AI in the realm of entertainment. He talked about the dangers of this technology and an all-numbers approach during a preview screening of Oppenheimer over the summer. The director had some valid criticisms of the “all-alogorithm all the time” era of film and TV production.
“The rise of companies in the last 15 years bandying words like algorithm – not knowing what they mean in any kind of meaningful, mathematical sense – these guys don’t know what an algorithm is,” Nolan shared. “People in my business talking about it, they just don’t want to take responsibility for whatever that algorithm does.”
He continued, “Applied to AI, that’s a terrifying possibility. Terrifying … Not least because, AI systems will go into defensive infrastructure ultimately. They’ll be in charge of nuclear weapons. To say that that is a separate entity from the person wielding, programming, putting that AI to use, then we’re doomed. It has to be about accountability. We have to hold people accountable for what they do with the tools that they have.”
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 14: Frances Fisher joins members and supporters of SAG-AFTRA and WGA during the "Scream Queens" theme day on the picket line at Netflix and Sunset Bronson Studios on August 14, 2023 in Hollywood, California. Members of SAG-AFTRA and WGA (Writers Guild of America) have both walked out in their first joint strike against the studios since 1960. The strike has shut down a majority of Hollywood productions with writers in the third month of their strike against the Hollywood studios.
